The Potter's Wheel
Pastor Marty Monday, July 3, 2017 at 11:19AM Jeremiah 18:1-11. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 02, 2017.
As we approach Independence Day, we want to be careful to gratefully thank God for its blessings. However, we want to also recognize the responsibility it brings us. You see, in times past our forefathers could appeal to God and point to the sins of King George III of Great Britain. But, once we have been granted independence by God, we are now responsible for what happens in our country. There is a lesson to be learned here. We can always look to the proverbial “authority over there” and complain that our life would be better without them, whether it is London, Washington D.C., Olympia, the county seat, or city hall. Of course we don’t stop there. On down to bosses and parents, we typically end at ourselves. Yet, shouldn’t we go one step further? Part of the problem of governance is that it is difficult to even govern ourselves. My own life and heart has its own set of predilections, those sins that we are partial towards and have the disfavor of God as much as anyone else. In fact, we often feel oppressed by the tyranny of those urges and desires of our flesh that lead to trouble.
In some ways I have painted a very dire picture. However, this is precisely why the grace and mercy of our God is so powerful. The Gospel is not some kind of mental exercise where we learn that we have always been free and just need to change our mindset. Rather, it comes to each of us in the midst of our bondage to all the things listed above and says, “Come follow Jesus and receive His freedom.” He loves us and is working for our good. But He also works in response to our heart. As an individual I am responsible for my response to God’s Word. But as a citizen, I am responsible to be an advocate of God’s Word within this nation.
This passage that we will look at in Jeremiah 18, speaks to this area of God dealing with nations and their people. May our nation hear God’s Word and change its rejection of Him and His King, Jesus.
The Illustration of the Potter
If pictures are worth a 1,000 words, then movies are worth an innumerable sum. God tells Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house and watch him for a while. The scene, that Jeremiah witnesses, becomes the parable for God’s message to Israel and also to us. In this parable it is clear that we are to see God in the potter. The question is asked in verse 6, “Can I not do with you as this potter?” At the heart of this question is our belief about God (His ability), but also our faith in God (His intentions). What are God’s intentions and purposes? A potter has a particular piece in mind when they sit down to the wheel. They work the clay, regardless of its imperfections, and do everything in order to create that vision. Even the punching down of the clay and starting over, which could be seen as something bad, is part of the process of working the clay and obtaining the purpose. This picture is intended to provide hope that even now, when it seems like everything is falling apart, God can reshape us. We are not alone to the forces of the world. God is working in our life. So regarding intention or purpose, God is working to do something good. But also regarding His being, God is the molder and we are the ones who are molded.
If God is the potter, then we are the clay. Like Adam who is physically formed from the earth, so there is a higher level on which God shapes and forms us. Because we are created in God’s image, there are some ways in which we can be seen as “molders.” Much of our life is spent trying to arrange things the way we want it and then trying to get it to stay that way. However, we cannot escape the greater reality that we will always have things in which we are not in control, things that shape us and not we them. Of course in the analogy, clay is inanimate and has no mind. As humans we can cooperate or not cooperate with God’s purposes in our life. In fact we should recognize that it is not just believers that are shaped by God. Even sinners are on God’s potter wheel. No matter how much we disbelieve in God and flee anything that smacks of Him, we cannot avoid the reality that we are creatures within His creation. All of creation operating and moving around us, is part of the process by which God shapes us. The events that happen in our generation, both great and small, and the decisions we make and those others make, all work together to shape what we are becoming. So ask yourself today, “What am I becoming?”
Now in verses 7-11, God begins to speak to things that need to be learned by His people. He is the Lord of the nations. The fate of the nations is in His hands. So in verses 7-8, He points to a situation in which He has spoken a prophetic Word to a nation that it is going to be torn down. Yet, the fate can be avoided by the nation’s response to that prophecy. If they turn from their evil ways, then God will turn from the destruction He had purposed to do. Similarly in verses 9-10, He points to the reverse situation. If He has spoken a prophetic Word to a nation that it is to be built up (like Israel had) and that nation responds by turning away from Him and towards evil ways, then God will respond by changing the good purpose that He had towards them. Now we need to keep in mind that we are talking about nations as a political entity here. God doesn’t just pick certain nations whimsically and obtusely bless them and curse all the others. God works in relationship with the nations of the world. Thus the destinies of nations are never set in stone. They are always changeable, to the good or to the bad. Thus we should not be arrogant when we think that God is favorable to our nation, and neither should we despair when we think it is bad. Putting aside the fact that we can be wrong about which is true, we should always grasp hold of the hope that we are not at the mercy of an uncaring and unjust God.
Even when God is against a nation, He still cares about the individuals within it. Individuals should never be confused with the political entities that govern them. Jesus Christ died to save individual people, not political entities. In this sense nations cannot “get saved.” As we recognized last week, people can receive the eternal life of God. But nations can only be saved in a temporary sense. The response of each generation affects the next chapter of their future. Now regarding individuals, Jesus and His apostles made it clear that it all comes down to our faith and trust in God, especially in His Savior, Jesus. If we put our trust in Jesus and follow Him (regardless of what nation we are in and God’s disposition towards it) then He will perfect our faith and make us to look like Jesus. He is the master teacher and we are the disciple students. He shows the way, we follow Him. I say this to remind us that we cannot do enough good things to get God to work for our good. We can only trust Him. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” So it is not about my flaws and failures. Rather, it is about my faith.
This is precisely where Satan loves to attack us. If my life seems to be imploding and falling apart, I am tempted to believe that God hates me and push Him away. This is not trust in God. But if I trust God and keep my eyes on Jesus, then I can trust that even these things that are broken down and taken away are just God punching me down into a ball so that He can start shaping again. It is out of love that He allows these things or even causes some of them to happen. Negative things do not always equate to God’s wrath or rejection. So faith is the victory over the temptation and scheme of the evil one. Put your faith in Jesus today if you are not a believer. By doing so, you will go from being a vessel that is being shaped for dishonor and into a vessel that is being shaped for honor.
So what about our nation, The United States of America? It is clear from history that God has both intended and accomplished some good things through our country. But each generation has to face this issue for themselves. In some ways we see that one of the greatest missions movements of all time has happened through the efforts of this nation. The English language has become the second language of most of the world, enabling the Scriptures to be accessible to many. On top of this is the amazing explosion of translating the Scriptures into the “heart language” of most of the world. How many individuals have moved to other countries to learn their language and culture so that they could share the Gospel of Jesus? Clearly God has been working in the past to shape us into a helpful vessel. Yet, over time we also see evil things that seem to be increasing every day. How much perversion do we pour out into the word in videos and magazines? If God is to purpose good for America’s future then we need to change our ways as a nation. We need to stop walking in pride and arrogance as if we cannot be touched. We need to quit rejecting God’s Word and forging our own ways. We must stop embracing false religions and mixing their teachings with those of Christ in order to make God’s Word more palatable. We need to stop sacrificing our children on the altar of convenience and self-love. We need to cease seeking ever new ways to try and erase His mark of design upon our body and life. We will have to reject hatred, murder, all sexual perversions, and especially an overall lack of love towards one another while overflowing in love towards ourselves. Ultimately we must repent.
So Christian, do not look at the world with the despair of one who says, “Good riddance.” This is not the image of Christ. Rather, pick up the mantle of hope for your nation and become an ambassador of God’s Word to the people around you. We have lost this nation one person at a time, and thus we can only win it back one person at a time. So, what about America? Well that is up to us.